QUOTE OF THE DAY: 50 cent

[ON SOULJAH BOY vs. ICE T]

At 16 years old, to be able to create the production, write the song and then make a dance for it, I think that's genius status. Souljah Boy, the lyricism isn't complex, but the fact that it connected, even if it's only with kids Souljah Boy's age, that's great. The average lifespan of an artist is one song. If he can get past that and move on to the next record, he'll develop

Ice-T, you can't take anything away from him, either, but I don't think that's cool of him. I understand his standpoint, because he's conscious of the artform and he remembers what it used to be like. Hip hop was so competitive that you couldn't be a part of it just because you wrote a song. But now we're in a different era where you gotta be able to get with the times. People don't want to hear complex artists, that's why Nas is losing his audience. Now people just want to enjoy themselves, and you've gotta adjust. If you want to make music just for yourself, keep it on your iPod.

[ON LOSING TO KANYE AND DECLINING SALES]

Em is the largest hip-hop artist, period. I'm the largest touring hip-hop artist. I've been more places, physically, to perform, as a representative of the artform, than anyone else in hip hop. And the biggest lesson I learned is that your consistency means nothing. A hip-hop consumer is worse than a crackhead. A crackhead will develop a relationship with a dealer. A hip-hop consumer will buy from whoever is selling, and what you did for him in the past means nothing.....

See, they'll give Kanye trophies because he's safe. 50 Cent, because I write the harsh realities, I get left out come trophy time. I'm ASCAP Songwriter of the year 2004 and 2006, and my material has allowed me a spot in the minds of the consumer. But it's not being recognized.

I don't get upset by it, because I can stop by the trophy shop and get some on my way home.

[ON ARTISTRY]

And there's a huge difference between a talented rapper and a songwriter, a huge difference. You can go to these places where rappers come to battle, and it's amazing. These guys can use anything, your shirt, your hair, your shoes, the way you look, everything, as a punchline against you. They've conditioned themselves to rap the way you and I speak. But they can't write a song to save their lives. They'll go home after rapping for two, three hours, and they can't figure out what to say to the right beat to change their living conditions. But a songwriter can go create a comfortable lifestyle for himself.

When's the last time you saw Eminem? And do you think he'll have a problem selling records when he returns? That's the difference.